Originally Posted by coolcat

More people prefer Corvettes equipped with automatic transmissions. For the 08 model year 54.2% of all Corvettes built had automatic transmissions. Only 33.3% of all Corvettes left the Bowling Green Assembly Plant with manual transmissions. www.bowlinggreenassemblyplant.com. AUTOMATICS RULE!!!

Originally Posted by STEVE MC

If automatic transmissions rule then why can't you buy a Z06 with an auto? Hell, for that matter throw the ZR-1 in there, oh yeah you can't get that in auto either.

Originally Posted by Rogers 07

What rules has nothing to do with it, Its the HP rating in the Z06 that keeps it from having an Auto. When GM Upgrades the Auto to handle the extra power, Z06s will be available with Autos and GM will sell boat loads of them.

Originally Posted by Daytona Bob

Interesting note about this Article is it says Corvette owners will probably never change. So a Manual will be around forever even if the Technology makes them Faster etc.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/artic...umentid=656470

Originally Posted by need-for-speed

That's an ignorant statement (the magazine, not you) since they sell more automatic tranny vettes than manual.

I enjoy driving an MN6 more, it's that simple. If I bought the car purely for drag racing, or had to drive it as my DD in traffic, then I would get the auto.

When I'm 80 y.o. and my hip does - I'll get the auto Until then, I'll enjoy the manual.

Originally Posted by Daytona Bob

I think its somewhat hypocritical to own a manual... complain that Automatics are not sports cars... and never taken a performance driving class. Learning to drive on your Dads rust bucket does not make you a top notch Manual driver.


So if your never going to take performance driving classes with your Manual... you might as well have purchased an Automatic because I guarantee self-learning is holding you back.

Originally Posted by charlies ls3

68 427 vette t top 390 hp 4 speed,70 442 vert 455 4 speed ,67 ss396 4speed [my first car ,was ragged out ]73 gto 400 4 speed,68 327 350hp vette vert 4 speed ,78 z 28 350 4 speed,1990 vette vert 6 spd mn[2clutchs porsche 928 auto[bore fest]79,80,81 vettes autos[borefest]84 z51 auto [fun but needed kidney belt]08 cpe 3lt npp mild to wild 6a my best vette evershifts could be firmer,down shifts great, feels like a manual & sounds like one,my $2000.00 CLUTCH JOBS ARE HISTORY[had 2 on my 90 i supplied hp assembley the second time. defective ,had to pay twice clutchs in my work trks ,its just a personal choice .they both have there +-s i drove 07 z51 6mn ,then drove 08 6a 273 gears & it felt a lot faster,a shame the 07 was 11k discount ,i bought the 0811months still happy

Originally Posted by Rogers 07

What rules has nothing to do with it, Its the HP rating in the Z06 that keeps it from having an Auto. When GM Upgrades the Auto to handle the extra power, Z06s will be available with Autos and GM will sell boat loads of them.

Originally Posted by coolcat

More people prefer Corvettes equipped with automatic transmissions. For the 08 model year 54.2% of all Corvettes built had automatic transmissions. Only 33.3% of all Corvettes left the Bowling Green Assembly Plant with manual transmissions. www.bowlinggreenassemblyplant.com. AUTOMATICS RULE!!!

Originally Posted by need-for-speed

I own an MN6 because it makes me smile more than an auto would. What else matters? I don't need to justify it to anyone. I have taken one day of driving school and am 100% convinced that I could be much better with more schooling. But then again, I knew that before I took the class.

If you check all of my posts, you'll see I am not an MN6 owner who thinks peole w/ auto are ****, wimps, etc. I am firm believer in buying what you want and justifying it to no one. I think if enough people want an A6 Z06 to make it profitable, GM should build it.

Maybe you are just annoyed at those who pick at Corvett owners with autos? I have seen the same silly statements about "Z51 is a waste of money if you don't track it - Z06 wannabe / poseur", etc...... . But again, these statements are probably motivated by those w/o Z51 getting tired of people raving about theirs.

Unfortunately, there will always be factions.

Originally Posted by OregonC6

I learned to drive performance cars on a 68 Camaro SS396 with a Muncie M21 4 speed.

All the things that people complain about on this and other forums were present in this old trans except a few.

The linkage was sometimes imprecise. The 2-3 shift could be blown if not careful. The shift **** vibrated and rattled. ( I would generally drive holding the **** better to feel the power. )

The clutch was direct.....no sissy hydraulic assist. No slave cylinder, no stupid silly clutch spring to break. And I, 18 when I got the car new, and in fairly good shape, had a sore left leg for weeks until I got used to the exercise involved in depressing the clutch pedal.

And people complain about driving a hydraulic assisted C6 in stop and go traffic. That car's clutch was like a B17's control surfaces. Human powered via cables.

By the way, I NEVER had to worry about the clutch pedal sticking to the floor or changing the dumb clutch fluid on the hydro assist. And...the clutch never slipped. I suspect it would be strong enough for a LS7 and perhaps better.

That's how I learned to shift a manual....connected to the car's driveline directly. BTW the gas pedal was connected via a direct cable too.

Now, if the manufacturers get any more fancy with the torque management and other computer controls on engine and trans the "manual" might lose even more of it's appeal.

For me, a vette with an automatic is not a performance enthusiasts car. Some over in the Z06 section have opined that people who buy "base" vettes are just looking for a car to drive and not interested in performance. This is bunk of course.

My opinion is also bunk but it's my opinion. I know some people who consider themselves performance oriented have C6 with autos. They talk about how the auto is a tiny bit faster etc. But my old timer opinion stands because I grew up with manuals and like the more direct control they supply.

Tactile feedback you could say.

I am glad the Z06 is available only with the manual. That is how it should be whether they could put one in the car or not. Also, the ZR1, a auto ZR1 would be a crime against car culture.

If you disagree with me about manuals vs autos then , IMO, you just never "got it" and probably won't ever "get it".

It's like telling someone who says they need the "head UP display" to shift properly that you shift by feel, touch, movement, and sound...NOT by watching a graph. You shift when you shift cause you are connected to the machine, part of it, and this connection is via the manual trans.

If you don't get this I suspect you like autos. You mash the gas and the car goes. You are not tied into anything but steering and , yes, I know you can paddle through the gears. I can only say, with perfect honesty, LOL to that.

Our society has changed much ...gotten softer and more interested in having others do our work. Autos fit right into this picture.

In luxury cars I like em. In performance cars I hate em. If it were up to me I'd remove the stupid hydralic assist cylinder and spring and make the C6 clutch cable actuated. Oh the whining that would cause no doubt.

For all the trouble these assists cause the leg work would be worth it. And, if a person could not depress the clutch then they could always get an automatic. That's what autos are for, IMO, people who can't drive a manual.

At least that's the way it used to be. And, since I was full on power shifting that big block at 18 I suspect I earned the right to say I was there and did that.

Originally Posted by OregonC6

I learned to drive performance cars on a 68 Camaro SS396 with a Muncie M21 4 speed.

All the things that people complain about on this and other forums were present in this old trans except a few.

The linkage was sometimes imprecise. The 2-3 shift could be blown if not careful. The shift **** vibrated and rattled. ( I would generally drive holding the **** better to feel the power. )

The clutch was direct.....no sissy hydraulic assist. No slave cylinder, no stupid silly clutch spring to break. And I, 18 when I got the car new, and in fairly good shape, had a sore left leg for weeks until I got used to the exercise involved in depressing the clutch pedal.

And people complain about driving a hydraulic assisted C6 in stop and go traffic. That car's clutch was like a B17's control surfaces. Human powered via cables.

By the way, I NEVER had to worry about the clutch pedal sticking to the floor or changing the dumb clutch fluid on the hydro assist. And...the clutch never slipped. I suspect it would be strong enough for a LS7 and perhaps better.

That's how I learned to shift a manual....connected to the car's driveline directly. BTW the gas pedal was connected via a direct cable too.

Now, if the manufacturers get any more fancy with the torque management and other computer controls on engine and trans the "manual" might lose even more of it's appeal.

For me, a vette with an automatic is not a performance enthusiasts car. Some over in the Z06 section have opined that people who buy "base" vettes are just looking for a car to drive and not interested in performance. This is bunk of course.

My opinion is also bunk but it's my opinion. I know some people who consider themselves performance oriented have C6 with autos. They talk about how the auto is a tiny bit faster etc. But my old timer opinion stands because I grew up with manuals and like the more direct control they supply.

Tactile feedback you could say.

I am glad the Z06 is available only with the manual. That is how it should be whether they could put one in the car or not. Also, the ZR1, a auto ZR1 would be a crime against car culture.

If you disagree with me about manuals vs autos then , IMO, you just never "got it" and probably won't ever "get it".

It's like telling someone who says they need the "head UP display" to shift properly that you shift by feel, touch, movement, and sound...NOT by watching a graph. You shift when you shift cause you are connected to the machine, part of it, and this connection is via the manual trans.

If you don't get this I suspect you like autos. You mash the gas and the car goes. You are not tied into anything but steering and , yes, I know you can paddle through the gears. I can only say, with perfect honesty, LOL to that.

Our society has changed much ...gotten softer and more interested in having others do our work. Autos fit right into this picture.

In luxury cars I like em. In performance cars I hate em. If it were up to me I'd remove the stupid hydralic assist cylinder and spring and make the C6 clutch cable actuated. Oh the whining that would cause no doubt.

For all the trouble these assists cause the leg work would be worth it. And, if a person could not depress the clutch then they could always get an automatic. That's what autos are for, IMO, people who can't drive a manual.

At least that's the way it used to be. And, since I was full on power shifting that big block at 18 I suspect I earned the right to say I was there and did that.

Originally Posted by JVM225

They can have my stick when they pry it from my cold dead hand.
Seriously, the manual in my Corvette just adds to the whole experience for me. I could care less how great they make the automatics, I don't think I would ever consider one in a Corvette unless there were some physical impairment or something that necessitated it.
I learned how to drive on a manual tranny car about forty years ago.
On the other hand, my wife wishes the Corvette were an automatic because she can't drive a stick. You would be surprised at how many guys I know that can't drive one either. They learned how to drive in an automatic car and never found the need to learn how to drive a stick. I'm sure that this is a factor in the decision to go with an automatic for a percentage of Corvette buyers.

Originally Posted by jschindler

Honestly, I don't think most people buy one or the other based upon whether or not it performs better. If that were the case, how would the automatic have outsold the manual all these years?

There are people who love to shift gears, and those who don't. And probably 98% of all Corvettes are never driven competitively anyway. I for one could care less whether mine is a tenth faster or slower - I just care which is more fun to drive.

Originally Posted by runutzzzzz

Isn't the avg. age of a Vette owner 50 or so? I'm sure you get the a age that you don't feel like shifting gears.

Originally Posted by STEVE MC

That is the technology already exists. If they wanted to ruin the Z06 with an automatic transmission they could have already done that.
By the way, don't confuse an auto tranny with an SMG tranny that still needs to be manually shifted and has a clutch, just no pedal.